On June 18, President Supervisor Breed and Supervisor Kim will hold a public hearing on Alternatives to a Jail Rebuild. This is another opportunity for the community to express what is crystal clear: San Francisco needs to invest in affordable housing, residential treatment programs, outpatient mental health services, health care for all, quality schools, parks and recreation program, not more cages.
Take action to stop the criminalization and imprisonment of Black and Brown communities and poor people. A recent report by the Center of Juvenile and Criminal Justice revealed that Black women in SF account for nearly 50% of the city’s arrests of women while they are only 6% of the women’s population in jail. This shocking statistic confirms the racism that we see operating on a daily basis in our work with women and transgender prisoners at SF County Jail. At the same time, we know that 84% of people in SF jail are pre-trial which means they haven’t been sentenced of a crime but simply can’t afford bail. Bail reform would eliminate the perceived need for a new jail.
What: Public Hearing // “Invest in Alternatives” Rally
When: Thursday, June 18th – 2 pm // 5 pm
Where: San Francisco City Hall, Room 250 // City Hall
Join us as we demonstrate that alternatives to jails and policing are what we need. It is scandalous that some Supervisors are proposing to significantly expand the SF police force. Wasting hundreds of millions of dollars into rebuilding a jail will only increase the violence of policing and imprisonment. This past week, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors suspended their jail construction plans to adequately assess community alternatives. San Francisco needs to follow their example now.
In solidarity,
Hafsah Al-Amin
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Member of Californians United for a Responsible Budget and No New SF Jail Coalition
P.S., SAVE THE DATE – on June 26, join us in a statewide mobilization against jail expansion in Sacramento! RSVP today!
